OK, back into the saddle - getting into cycling

[D_T_W]

I was in a similar situation to you, but I pinched my old mans second hand 12 year old mountain bike to start with and make sure it was something I wanted to do.

I've now managed to drop £1500 on a Cannondale CAADX Ultegra and some gear (jacket, mudguards, lights, roof rack etc) as I knew if I went out and bought a £500 bike I'd never use it, but having a fair chunk of cash tied up in something means I will use it.

I did a lot of research online and looked into what group sets, frames and styles were better than others then hunted for a bike with a right spec and style for what I wanted it to do.

Sadly in my experience if you're not a hardcore downhill mountain biker or a hardcore roadie doing 250 miles a day then staff in bike shops just weren't interested in helping you. I visited 3 independents, two branches of Evans, two branches of Edinburgh Bicycle Coop and 3 Halfords stores and met nothing but disinterest at them all. Frustrating and annoying, but that's why I did my research then purchased everything online.

[williaa68]

I recently purchase a Trek Domane 4.0 Disk from Cycle Surgery for the Cyclescheme max (£1k). I found cycle surgery very good in that they allowed me to use a voucher on a sale model (i think the list price was £1500) - many other bike shops wouldn't do this. It certainly felt like a bit of a bargain as I reckon after tax the cost of the bike was less than half the retail price. I have a dodgy back and got the Domane as it was recommended due to its geometry and then as it has disks I put 32mm tyres on it and run these at moderate pressure (80psi). I am very happy with the way it runs on the crappy roads near me, although I am far far from an expert. I don't think it would go off road but it certainly seems to handle rough tarmac well. Good luck with the purchase - there are others far more knowledgeable than me on here who may have specific recommendations.

[Dr_Rick]

So my voucher is being worked up. Max spend on the bike. Accessories will come from Decathlon and eBay.

Think I've managed to swing the 2016 Pinnacle Arkose 4 in Medium for the £1k. According to The System, there are only 8 left in Evans.

So, I need pedals, mudguards, shoes, helmet and some bike clothes and I'm sorted.

Then the fun/pain starts.

[richardxjr]

Excellent bike for that money a few PHers have Arkoses

[Dr_Rick]

So the bike is at Evans, in its box.

Just the slooooow wait for the CycleScheme paperwork / certificate to sort itself out.

[smn159]

I wanted a bike a couple of months back as an occasional alternative to running. I bought a Triban B'Twin 500 as a stop gap until I could work out what I wanted from a bike, with a view to maybe jumping onto the cycle to work scheme later and spending a bit more.

It's s slippery slope though! I found myself in Majorca for three days of hill climbing a couple of weeks back and I've already signed up to go to Tenerife to cycle up the volcano in January... I thought that I was reasonably fit from running, but being 'bike fit' seems to require a whole new level!!

Enjoy

[Dr_Rick]

Collection day ......